News Releases

Iowa State students win three of four national awards from AAFCS

May 27, 2008

ISU FCEDS Club members standing in stairway.

The Iowa State University Chapter of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences received three of the four top awards from the national organization in 2008. Club members from left, front row: Julie Tlach, Caitlin Payne, Megan Aden, Margaret Lilley, Axton Betz (advisor). Back row: Nancy Miller, Jana Sadewasser, Karen Naig, Karina Ostrem. Photo by Dana North.

AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University’s Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies Club has swept the awards of its national parent organization in 2008. Iowa State chapter affiliates will receive three of the four awards offered by the student unit of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.

ISU Club earns Progress Award. Iowa State received the Progress Award from AAFCS. Considered the association’s highest award for college or university student chapters, the Progress Award recognizes one student chapter each year from among more than 50 college or university affiliated organizations. The award recognizes Iowa State’s club for outstanding growth in membership, improvement in club activity, and active involvement at the state level.

The Iowa State chapter doubled its local membership to 14 and quintupled the number of students who are active in the state affiliate to 24 over the past year. With financial support from the College of Human Sciences and the Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management, ISU club members participated in five professional development conferences in three states during the 2007-2008 academic year.

Ostrem named Student of the Year. Karina Ostrem, an Iowa State senior in family and consumer science education and studies from Oskaloosa, received the Student of the Year Award from AAFCS. The national organization presents this award annually to a college junior or senior who has demonstrated outstanding achievement in academics and activities, exhibited high character, and showed promise for promoting the association’s ideals in the future.

Ostrem is an active member of the Family and Consumer Sciences Education and Studies Club and represents the organization as a member of the College of Human Sciences Student Council. She also participates in the Iowa Association of Family and Consumer Sciences and volunteers with Special Olympics, the Salvation Army and Habitat for Humanity.

"Karina is always willing to volunteer for any program activities and has assisted me with recruiting activities for the FCEDS Club," said Axton Betz, the ISU club's advisor. "She promoted AAFCS and [the Iowa chapter] and encourages other students to join. Her well-roundedness and her enthusiasm for the profession of family and consumer sciences demonstrates that she will be a successful secondary teacher."

Betz named Outstanding Advisor. The Outstanding Advisor Award from AAFCS will go to Betz, a graduate student at Iowa State from Havana, Ill. The award recognizes one advisor each year for demonstrating exceptional commitment to mentoring student members.

"Axton is more than willing to go out of her way to ensure that you are having a positive college experience. She encourages all of us to get involved in conferences all over and helps us to find funding to be able to afford it. Axton is a great, positive role model who is there for you,” said Karen Naig, a junior in family and consumer sciences education and studies from Cylinder.

"Axton is interested in what we are doing as a club and [is] fully supportive of our activities. I appreciate having someone as our club advisor that I can count on for leadership,” said Vicki Gustafson, a junior in family and consumer sciences education and studies from Ogden.

Betz elected to national leadership post. Betz was recently elected by her peers to serve as first vice chair of the AAFCS student unit. In this role, she will serve as the editor of the organization’s newsletter for students, coordinate information on the national web site, submit articles to the Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, serve on several committees, and fill in as chair if that position is vacated.

Rachel Woods, a student at the University Georgia, won the AAFCS Community Service Award.

Ostrem, Betz, Woods, and the ISU student club will be honored at an awards ceremony on June 19 as part of the 99th annual conference of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Contacts:

Axton Betz, academic advisor, Department of Apparel, Educational Studies, and Hospitality Management, 515 294-5930.

Mike Ferlazzo, News Service, phone 515 294-8986.

Cathy Curtis, communications specialist, College of Human Sciences, 515

Iowa State University student Karina Ostrem has been named Student of the Year by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Photo by Dana North.

Iowa State's Axton Betz has received the Outstanding Advisor Award from the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Photo by Dana North.